Clamp assembly for garment finishing machines



April 14; 1959 N; cfJ cKsoN CLAMP ASSEMBLY FOR GARMENT FINISHINGMACHINES Filed Aug. 1 5, 1957 INVENTOR.

Jackson United States Patent 2,881,963 Patented Apr. 14, 1959 CLAMPASSEMBLY FOR GARMENT FINISHING MACHINES Nolan C. Jackson, Wichita,Kans., assignor to Wichita Precision Tool Company, Inc., Wichita, Kans.,a corporation of Kansas Application August 5, 1957, Serial N 0. 676,294

Claims. (Cl. 223-70) This invention relates to garment finishingmachines and the most important object is to provide a clamp assemblywhich is employed in garment finishing machines for holding the garmentin place against an inflatable bag over which the garment is draped.

It is another important object of the present invention to provide animproved clamp assembly for garment finishing machines having novellocking means as a part thereof for quickly and easily clamping agarment-engaging member in place at commencement of the garmentfinishing operations.

A still further important object of the present invention is to providelocking means in a clamp assembly of the aforementioned character thatis easily and quickly adjusted so as to accommodate garments of variousthicknesses.

A further important object of the instant invention is the provision ofa clamp assembly for garment finishing machines that utilizes apast-center principle between a pair of relatively swingable elementsthrough the medium of a short link to the end that the elements willsnap into locking position as soon as the garment-engaging member ismoved into place against the garment.

Another object of the present invention relates to the way in which oneof the aforementioned swingable elements is also adapted to rotate andthereby efiect the adjustment above referred to.

A preferred embodiment of the instant invention is illustrated in thedrawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, elevational view partially schematic showing agarment finishing machine having a clamping assembly made pursuant tothe instant invention operably mounted thereon.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, elevational view partially brokenaway and in section revealing the clamp assembly per se.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on irregular line III-III of Fig.2; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, detailed, crosssectional view takenon line IV--IV of Fig. 2.

The nature and operation of the garment finishing machine illustrated inFig. 1 of the drawing, forms no part of the instant invention.

In such machines there is provided means within hollow base 12 and/ orforming a part thereof, for directing steam and heated air in propersuccession to a garment (not shown) to be draped over an inflatable bag14 made of permeable material to the end that the air and steam areforced outwardly through the bag 14 and the garment thereon.

Bag 14 is supported by framework 16 therewithin carried by the base 12and more particularly, by a neck element 18 secured to the upper end ofthe frame 16. Neck element 18 is additionally supported or stabilized bya backing strip 20 carried by turntable 22 on base 12.

Take-up means (not shown) at zones 24 and 26 for controlling distentionof the bag 14 and one or more manual controls 28 therefor, likewise formno part of the instant invention, but it is to be pointed out that thesupports for the controls 28 are mounted on the rotaable means 22 as isa second shorter backing strip 30 within the bag 14. The open bottom ofthe bag 14 has attachment with the rotatable means 22 and communicateswith the base 12.

Elongated garment-engaging member 32 cooperates with backing strip 20 inclamping a garment therebetween after such garment is draped over thebag 14. Further, there is provided a suitable support 34 for the member32, which support 34 extends radially outwardly and thence upwardly andoutwardly at an angle from the rotatable part 22 of the base 12. By wayof clarity, the element 36 seen in Fig. 1, is separate from the support34 and constitutes a part of one of the controls 28 that has been brokenaway to show the support 34.

The structure for mounting the member 32 on the support 34 forms thesubject matter of the instant invention and includes a pairof'relatively movable elements 38 and 40, the element 38 being made upof a rod 42 and a block 44, the latter of which extends into the hollowsupport 34 and is swingably secured thereto by horizontal pivot pin 46.

Rod 42 extends into a socket 48 formed in the block 44 for free rotationtherein and is held in place by a cross pin 50 in block 44 that isreceived by an annular groove 52 in rod 42, all of which is clear inFig. 4.

The transversely U-shaped element 40 embraces a lateral extension 54 onthe support 34 and is swingably secured thereto by a horizontal pivotpin 56 parallel with pin 46. The element 40 carries the member 32through the medium of an L-shaped bracket 58 rigid to the outer face ofthe bight of element 40 and having an elongated strap 60 mountedthereon. The upwardly and inwardly extending strap 60 is preferably madefrom yieldable material such as spring steel and has a small bracket 62secured to the uppermost end thereof embracing the member 32intermediate the ends of the latter and secured to member 32 by ahorizontal pivot pin 64 that is parallel with the pins 46 and 56.

Rod 42 is provided with screw threads 66 intermediate the ends thereofreceiving a nut 68 held in place by a lock nut 70 on rod 42. Past-centerlink means pivotally interconnects the elements 38 and 40 and includes apair of triangular links 72 which embrace the nut 68 and extend upwardlytherefrom. Pivot pins 74 and 76 parallel with pivot pins 46, 56 and 64,connect the links 72 with nut 68 and the legs of element 40respectively, it being noted that such legs embrace the links 72 andthat the latter are adjacent the inner face of the bight of element 40when the assembly is in the position illustrated by Fig. 2.

In operation, a garment may be placed on the bag 14 in the usual mannerwhen the member 32 is retracted away from bag 14 as illustrated inFig. 1. The clamp assembly is placed in use by manually grasping knob 78on the upper end of rod 42 to swing the latter inwardly toward thegarment on the bag 14 about the axis of pivot pin 46. This also swingsthe element 40 inwardly about the axis of pivot pin 56 to bring themember 32 into engagement with the garment.

Pivot pin 64 permits the member 32 to engage the garment throughout thelength thereof, clamping the latter together with the bag 14 against thebacking strip 20, irrespective of the variances in the thicknesses ofthe garment along the length of member 32. When the member 32 hasclamped the garment tightly against the strip 20, additional inwardmovement of the knob 78 will swing the rod 42 relative to the element 40and thereby swing the links 72 inwardly from the position shown in Fig.l to the position shown in Fig. 2. Note that during the inward swingingmovement of the links 72, the pivot pin 74 aligns with the pivot pins 46and 76 on line 80 and thereupon moves past center line 80 between thelatter and the bight of element 40 as illustrated in Fig. 2. This actionon the part of the links 72 'eflectively locks the clamping assembly inplace and yieldably holds the member 32 against the garment by virtue ofthe resilience inherent in the strap 60. During release of the clampingassembly, an outward pull on the knob 78 snaps the links 72 outwardly toposition the pivot pin 74 on the opposite side of the center line 80as-shown in Fig. 1.

In order to adjust the clamp assembly to accommodate garments ofdiffering thicknesses, it is but necessary to loosen the lock nut 70 androtate the rod 42 with respect to the block 44. This causes movement ofthe against said strip comprising a support spaced from the strip; anelongated handle extending upwardly from the support; a first pivot pinat the lowermost end of the handle mounting the latter on the supportfor horizontal swinging movement toward and away from said strip;

an elongated standard between the handle and the strip and'extendingupwardly from the support; means at the lowermost end of the standardmounting the same on the support for swinging movement toward and awayfrom said strip, the handle and the standard being relatively swinga'bletoward and away from each other; a

garment engaging member secured to the standard be tween the latter andthe strip; a link between the handle and the standard and engaging thelatter when the memher is against the garment; a second pivot pin at theuppermost end of the standard and the link mounting the latter on thestandard for swinging movement toward and away from the standard; and athird pivot pin at the lowermost end of the link attaching the latter tothe handle, said third pin being disposed on one side of a lineextending between the first and second pins when the member is againstthe garment, and on the other side of said line when the handle is swungaway from the strip to release the member from the garment.

2. The invention of claim 1, there being a fourth pivot pin atthe-lowermost end of the standard attaching the latter to the supportand spaced from the first pivot pin whereby the handle and standardconverge toward the link when the member is against the garment, the pinbeing in horizontal parallelism whereby the handle, the standard and thelink swing within a substantially common vertical plane as the handle ismoved toward and away from the strip.

, vice.

4. The in vention of claim 1, said handle having screw threads, saiddevice comprising a nut in mesh with the screw threads.

5. The invention of claim 4, the handle comprising a rod and a block,the first pin attaching the block to the support, the screw threadsbeing on the rod and said rod being rotatably secured to the blockwhereby the distance between the block and the nut may be varied byrotating the rod.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,412,172 Pettit Dec. 3, 1946 2,574,281 Olson Nov. 6, 1951 2,592,903Jackson Apr. 15, 1952

